Heat conductor device and method of forming a heat conductor device

Abstract

The invention provides a heat conductor device (10) for removing heat from an electrical component (12) operating in a frequency range, the device comprising a body (13) having a first thermal conductivity, characterized in that the body (13) is provided with a heat spreader (14) comprising a pattern of thermally conducting tiles (20, 50, 51, 52, 61) separated by gaps (21), the tiles having a second thermal conductivity higher than the first thermal conductivity, wherein each tile has at most a maximum area value and the gaps have at least a minimum gap width, and the maximum area and the minimum width are dimensioned for conforming to a predetermined electromagnetic interference characteristic of the heat conductor device when combined with the electrical component operating in the frequency range. The invention also provides a method for forming a heat conductor device.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to a heat conductor device for removing heat from an electrical component, particularly an electrical component that functions at a high frequency, for example in the GigaHertz (GHz) domain. The invention also relates to a method of forming a heat conductor device.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]An electrical component that needs cooling is placed in thermal contact with a thermally conductive material, also called a heat conductor device or heat sink. However, materials with good thermal conductivity (such as metal) also tend to have good electrical conductivity.[0003]A nearby layer with good electrical conductivity is problematic when used in conjunction with high frequency devices such as for processor integrated circuits (ICs) or memory ICs operating in the Megahertz (MHz) or Gigahertz (GHz) domain. In these applications, the conducting surface of the surrounding layer acts as a radiator for source currents which are present int...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]Each tile has an area that is small enough to prevent an individual tile from absorbing electromagnetic energy originating from the high-frequency currents inside the electrical component. At the same time, each tile has an area that is as large as possible in order to improve the heat conducting properties of the heat spreader layer and thus of the heat conductor device. Each gap forms a distance between adjacent tiles that is large enough to function as a barrier against electrical currents in the frequency range of the electrical component. At the same time, each gap is as small as possible to improve the heat conducting properties of the heat spreader layer and thus of the heat conductor device. As a result, the patterned heat spreader maximally increases the effective thermal conductivity of the heat conductor device, while minimally increasing the effective electrical conductivity of the heat conductor device.

[0029]In an embodiment according the invention, the pattern is provided through injection moulding the body around a substrate on which the pattern is formed. In this manner, the pattern can be efficiently formed inside a heat spreader device body.

Problems solved by technology

As a result, the patterned heat spreader maximally increases the effective thermal conductivity of the heat conductor device, while minimally increasing the effective electrical conductivity of the heat conductor device.

Furthermore, if the island size is well below the EM wavelength, the conducting islands will not function as an antenna, and the small size will also limit the size of a possible current loop, thereby limiting radiation as well.

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